Bleached Blond
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: A challenge by Shirosaki-sama. The story of Bleach, retold in its entirety but with a Major and unexpected twist. Read on to find out! Bleach xover
1. Abnormal

**I aplologize if i mixed up the whole brother sister references in japanese.**

My name is Naruto Uzumaki.

I'm sixteen years old, so I'm a high-school student, but that's not what I'm here to talk about.

I help run a medical clinic here in town with this lady called grandma Tsunade. She pays well enough, and even lets me live there, so I don't really have much to complain about.

But...

For as long as I can remember, I've been able to see the souls of the departed. I've never really been able to understand why, but I actually find them more sociable than half the people I know...

Maybe its because I'm entrusted with the lives of the living?

Beats me.

But anyway, this is where my story begins...

--

"Sorry I'm late-

"Na-ru-to!"

The teenager twisted backwards as a blond woman looking to be in her mid to early twenties delivered a sharp right hook to his face. Stars exploded before his vision in a painful display of agony. He dropped flat to the floor, whilst his ever enthusiastic father declared:

"You let your guard down _again_! What did I tell you about coming in late?!"

Naruto clambered back up, a vein throbbing in his head. "Oh _come on_! Is that anyway to welcome someone who just risked his life to help a spirit find peace?!"

Tsunade responded with just as much force, shouting right back in his face."Oh so its the ghost's fault now?! I suppose it was ghost's that left _your _pile of paperwork on my desk!

"Why you-

"Oh yeah?! You wanna go?!"

The sounds of their bickering were heard and seen in the background, whilst Hanabi rolled her eyes and took some more of the rice that Tsunade had brought her. "Hey stop the fighting you two!" Pleaded Hana, another patient who lay in an adjacent bed from her sister. "Just come over here and eat your dinner!"

"Let em fight." Replied Hanabi, filling her bowl again. "More rice for me."

Hana shot her twin a glare, her pale eyes reflecting her displeasure.

"That's not very nice."

Finally, Tsunade dealt the crippling blow, walloping Naruto hard in the face, then catapulting him across the room. A tick mark throbbing on his forehead, he clamored to his feet, and jabbed a finger at her. "Ow! That _hurt_ you old hag!"

"What did you say Naruto?!"

He gulped, but pressed on, even as he was seized up by the collar.

"I gotta tell ya, for any normal healthy high school student a seven o' clock curfew is totally uncool!"

"Well I'm your landlord, so you'll come home when I tell you to!"

"Old hag," He grumbled under his breath.

In response, she used her superhuman strength to kick him halfway across the room, and into a wall. Of course this didn't deter him, and he got right back up, ready to go at it-

"Naruto-niichan, speaking of uncool, you've got a new one." yawned Hanabi.

The blond turned to look to the right, and there it was.

Another pesky ghost!

"Gah! How long have you been there?!" He desperately swatted at the pesky spirit, but to no avail, as it still hovered there. "Take a hike will ya! Ya damn pest! I'm done for the day!"

Hanabi shook her head, and turned around in her chair, whilst her foster brother tried to ward of the pesky apparition. Truly, Naruto wasn't her real brother, neither was he Hana's. But he was the only one aside from Tsunade and their elder sister, who came to see them here after their mother died, _and_ after they fell ill. And as such, the two girls had taken an instant liking to him.

"Poor Nii-chan, whether it's Tsunade-chan or a ghost, its always one or the other with him." Sighed Hanabi. "I don't even see what the big deal is with ghosts. I don't even believe in them."

"I think its kind of lucky for him to be able to see ghosts! Chirped Hana, the ever cheerful one, before a look of confusion marred her innocent fae. "But... didn't you have the power to see spirits too?"

"I'm in permanent denial." Grumbled her sister, ignoring the specter hovering just over her shoulder. "Just because I can _see_ them, doesn't mean I actually _believe_ in them."

"That's cold." Whined her twin, as the ghost faded away from the harsh verbal blow.

"You dropped your guard again!"

"Gah!"

They were going at it again, but their little bout was shorter this time, as Naruto grabbed Tsunade from behind, seized her by the arms, and was then summarily slugged in the face as she broke the hold. "Ow...He groaned, sliding to the floor, and off the fist of his boss.

"Now get to work!"

"Ah forget this, never-mind dinner!" Naruto grumbled under his breath, now stalking up the steps that led to the second floor and the office. His hands were jammed deep into his pockets, and he ignored Hana's cry for him to wait. "I'm going to my room!"

"Wow Tsunade-chan. You sure have a way with kids don't you?" Chided Hanabi as the door slammed shut behind him.

"Me?! What did I do?!" Sputtered the woman as she got the girl her pills.

"Ichigo's seeing more spirits lately." Mumbled Hana under her breath.

"He _has_been acting strange lately," Replied Tsunade as she now got Hana a glass of water so she could take her own medicine."But I doubt it's the ghosts."

"Nani? Then what's bothering him?" Asked Hana innocently.

Tsunade gave the two girls a wan smile as she tucked them in for the night. "It's nothing, probably just a high-school crush. Maybe he's finally noticed Hinata?"

The two ten year olds were now rapt with attention.

"Oooh! Naruo-nii-chan has a crush on our Nii-san!"

They all laughed about that one, until Hana had a coughing fit, and they were forced to stop. Sighing, Tsunade patted the girl on the head, brushing aside a strand of raven black hair from her eyes. "Sh, take it easy. You won't be able to go get well again if you keep this up." She was of course referring to the esteemed Hyuuga Household, from which both Hanabi and Hana descended.

Konoha appeared to be a rural town, but in reality, it was anything but. After what kind of town used to be hidden in a dense forest? Granted, the forest had long since been felled, but underneath it all had been the legendary Leaf Village. Some people still claimed to have ties to those old clans, and rumor had it that every few years, a select group could be chosen to become shinobi here.

Of course that was a long time ago.

She ran a hand through her hair.

"He wanted to be one so badly too...It doesn't make any sense."

"Of course it does." Replied Hanabi tonelessly. "For one thing, you're over forty, you're his boss, and quite frankly, I think you scare the living daylights out of Nii-san just for fun."

"Watch it lil' missy."

--

_Naruo..._

_"Wha?"_

_Sooon..._

--

"Morning." He grumbled, stumbling down the steps in a daze.

"Good morning Naruto-nii!" Chirped Hana, out of her bed and making breakfast for once. The smell of bacon and eggs permeated the room, tickling at his nose and making his stomach growl.

He heard her words, but his gaze was now drawn to the television as the current program was abruptly cut off by a new telecast. It was broadcasting an incident, and Ichigo absentmindedly munched on his toast as it broadcasted.

"Hmm? That's near here." He mumbled, absent mindedly taking a piece of toast off the table and chewing on it. The camera now panned in on the pavilion, and his eyes went wide.

"Naruto-nii-

He was already out the door.

--

"Hello?"

A roar was his answer.

It didn't sound human.

Then everything exploded.

"Holy-

A massive creature now reared up before him. Its claws raked across the building it had emerged from, spraying glass and plaster everywhere. But before he could even consider fleeing, or being frozen in fear, a young girl ran past him. Almost immediately, he recognized her as the one from the other day, the one he had beat up those punks for.

"Help me!"

"Run!" He cried, instinct taking over as he ran off after her whilst the beast gave fierce pursuit. But it was to no avail. Whatever this thing was, it was gaining and fast. They had just rounded a corner, when the girl tripped, falling flat on her face.

Grinding the heels of his soles into the pavement, the blond spun around to see what had happened. Not wasting a second, he scrambled over to he bent down as he ran, scooping her up in his arms-

And the distraction cost him.

Somehow, the beast had snuck up on him, for that one second.

The monstrosity screeched and brought its pincers down!

He instinctively raised his free arm, a hand to cover his face-

CARRUNCH!

The hollow reeled back, its left arm suddenly gone. Blood now poured like a fountain from the stump, which had been roughly and unevenly severed at the elbow. Its limb dissolving, the malevolent creature looked down at the cloud of smoke.

**"My arm! Stupid human! What did you do?!"**

Naruto looked down at his hand, which now sparked with reddish light. It was covered in the glowing aura, which vaguely resembled that of an animals claw.

He looked down at the ground, and saw his reflection in a shattered shard of glass. His eyes, once calm and blue, were now red. His pupils had become vertical slits, and his hair had roughened but slightly. Opening his mouth in a silent 0, he observed that his canines were slightly longer as well.

Some of the ground cracked under his feet, and the tree next to him abruptly shattered into timber, due to its close proximity to his arm. The energy vanished as quickly as it had come, and he blinked slowly, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

"What the...

**"GIIIIIIIIII!"**

His gaze snapped up, drawn by the scream. A girl in a black kimono effortlessly dispatched the monster, via cutting it in half, having slit its eye just a moment ago.

With the grace of a ballerina dancer, she landed in a small crouch, back to him. The monster now dissolved into nothingness, leaving only its foul stench behind. The girl glanced at him for a second, and seemed to stare. Her eyes were a sea-foam green, and her hair was the oddest color, pink. Before he could say a word, she sheathed her sword and walked away.

Everyone began to bustle about, clearly confused from what had just happened. However, no one even mentioned the monster, just something about another explosion. How could they have missed something that big?

_"Who was that?" _He wondered...


	2. Substitute Soul Reaper

He spent most of that night wondering about the chance encounter he'd had with that girl. When she'd looked at him-no, she hadn't looked _at him_. Her eyes, those piercing orbs of viridian, they went right through him, staring into the very depths of his soul.

"Huh? What're you doing here?"

She clutched at his sword, and in trepidation, Naruto scrambled back on the bed.

"H-Hey! Put that away! You're not slicing me up!"

Silently, she dropped to the floor.

"Hey!"

_'It's getting closer...I feel it._

When she seemed to ignore him, this bugged Naruto even more.

"Hello?! I'm talking to you! Say something!"

_'Its close..._She mused to herself-

She certainly reacted when he booted her from behind!

"Who are you, and whaddya want?!"

With a startled cry, and a loud thud, the pinkette crashed to the floor.

A question mark appeared over her head as she tried to contemplate what had just happened, though she was dimly aware of someone yelling at her."If you think you think you're a burglar then you're not a very good one! For starters, don't talk to yourself!"

Blinking, she turned round to give him a puzzled look.

"You kicked me? But I can't be seen by ordinary humans...Are you saying you can see me?!"

"Well, considering that was my foot I just planted in your behind, you tell me." He snorted, a confused, yet annoyed look on his face. He was a tall one, and she had to momentarily stifle a laugh at how ridiculous his hair looked.

"You were the one I saw in town earlier, I remember!"

"Boy, nothing gets by you."

Naruto took a step back as she now rose, peering at him closely.

"How strange, you look normal- He blinked as she reached up to feel at his face, turning his head from side to side. "Hmm... that's strange. You look normal, but you must be defective in some way...

"I'll show ya defective!" Effortlessly, she jumped over his kick, jumped on his head, and knocked him to the floor, all in the space of two seconds. Picking himself up, the teen shot the girl a glare.

"Grrr...Who are you?" He snarled.

"You really want to know?" She replied icily, taking his silence for a yes soon afterwards. "I'm a soul reaper."

(One lengthy explanation later)

He leaned back in the chair.

"So you're a soul reaper."

A nod.

"So, let me get this straight. You were sent here on a mission by something called the soul society."

A nod.

"To deal with demons like the one we saw on the street today."

A nod.

"Which was chasing after that girl's soul."

A nod.

"I don't believe any of it."

"You mean to say you don't believe me?!"

"Of course not!" He snapped back. There's absolutely no way any of this is-

His ears pricked up.

"The hell?"

**"GRAAAAAAAAA!"**

The girl stiffened. "A hollow?!"

The entire house now shook, throwing them both off balance, and onto the floor.

A scream was heard seconds later.

Blue eyes tripled.

"Hana!"

He shoved past the soul reaper, heedless of her cries for him to stop.

"Idiot!"

Faster than he could see, she appeared before him, then ran two fingers across his fingers in a slashing motion.

"Bakudo #1: Sai!"

Naruto gasped, as he felt something bind his arms behind his back, but by then his entire body couldn't move. It was as if his joints were glued together, and the sticky paste in his veins prevented him from moving.

"What the hell?!"

"Stay here!" She called over her shoulder, running out the door.

A massive wave of something nearly blew the shinigami clean off her feet.

"Its huge! How did I miss this?!"

Hanabi came staggering around the corner, as the shinigami ran out the door.

She was in worse shape than before, badly scratched and bruised all over. She fell to the floor, but propped herself up on her elbows, reaching out for him.

"Naruto-nii...its...Hanabi, she's been...got to...save her...

His sister collapsed before she could say more.

The shinigami bent to check her pulse, but another scream distracted her, and she ran down the hallway.

"Wait! Shinigami! Come back here and untie me!"Pleaded Naruto.

Another scream.

"Hanabi!"

In that moment, his resolve hardened.

_'Move!'_

Willing his limbs to move, he got to his knees.

_'Move!'_

Then he found his footing.

_'MOVE!'_

Heedless of his ow safety, he inched his way down the hall.

Unfortunately, he forgot about the stairs...

--

She turned to look as he bounced down the stairs, facefirst.

That impact looked to be rather painful.

"Baka! What are you doing?!"

Groaning, he forced himself to his feet.

"Shut...up...

Needless to say, she was amazed.

_'How can he stand when he's under my spell..._

"Let me go!" Screamed Hanabi, coughing harshly, as the hollow held her in its massive fist. It squeezed harder, and she howled in raw agony. The beast's masked face seemed set in a perpetual grin, almost as if it were enjoying the pain it was causing his sister. It now clamped another hand over her and began to squeeze even harder.

Her pained cries and sobs galvanized him.

Something started to beat inside of him. The sound grew louder, louder, until it was dull pounding that obscured all else. He raised his bound arms that were frozen behind his back...

"Stop! The kido's too strong for you! You'll damage your soul!"

"Shut...up...He growled through clenched teeth. His indecisiveness was gone, all traces of formality had up and vanished. All that was left was the base need to protect his family.

His arms began to move, as he grit his teeth together fiercely.

"Ugh...

_'What?'_

The symbols around him began to fragment, as he started to force his arms apart.

_'He's...breaking the kido?'_

...GRAAAAAAH!" For the first time in a _long time_, Naruto Uzumaki screamed. It was a fierce roar, but there was absolutely nothing human about it. It sounded more like that of a _hollow's screech_ than anything nose a human could possibly hope to make.

And the spell shattered.

_'That's impossible!'_

The moment he could move his arms, Naruto _ran_.

He snatched up the first thing his eyes fell upon, an old wooden chair.

"Let her go!"

"Naruto, get me out of here!" Hanabi cried, just before the hollow smashed him aside with a fist. He was sent flying like a rag doll, and bounced on the street a few times, before coming to a stop. His entire body felt as if it were weighed down by bricks, and he struggled to rise.

**"I found you, you little shit!" **Cackled the hollow, as its free hand lunged for him.

"No!" Wailed Hanabi.

The shinigami slashed before the beast could get a hold of him. The hollow screamed as blood sprayed through the air like a crimson fountain, creating a ruby red mist in the air.

**"Gah!! My arm!"**

Howling in pain, its hand spasmed, dropping Hanabi as it reeled back and simply vanished.

_"NOW!" _roared a voice!

By some miracle, he managed to avoid its stomping feet, to catch her as she fell. As he did so, Naruto slid under the belly of the beast, and came up on the other side. By the time this happened, the hollow had already staggered back and disappeared.

"Don't worry, it didn't devour her soul." She said as he checked Hanabi over for any vitals.

"You sure?"

"Yes...because...

"It's after you!" She realized all at once, as it summed up the two attacks of today, and she really didn't have the time to explain her theory to this annoying human. "You're the one it wants! Run!"

_"Do not run."_

_W-What?_

_"Stand." _Commanded the strange voice. "_This is your trial!_

The hollow came back through the blackness, licking its lips hungrily. Know that he knew what it wanted, he felt obligated to stay. He had to stay, running was simply not an option.

"Moron! I said run!"

The hollow roared lustfully.

_"He will not stop until you are devoured. You must stop him here!"_

"OI!"

It turned.

**"Eh?"**

He rose, and staggered past her, placing himself directly in the beast's path.

"If you want my sisters...

A hand seized the remnants of the chair on the ground, and hefted it as best he could. His eyes were now twin pools of ice, threatening to freeze anyone who dared to get to close to him.

He jerked finger towards his chest.

"Then you have to go through me!"

It licked his massive lips, and lunged!

**"You're dead!"**

"No!"

When he came too, the shinigami was lying on the ground, and the hollow was reeling back, holding its face.

"Idiot...She hissed, struggling to rise, only succeeding in resting her back against a nearby wall. Blood pooled from a heavy shoulder wound inflicted by the monster's bite. "At this rate, we'll all become its meal...

All he could hear was the voice in his ears, and the dull pounding.

"Do you...want to save your family...?"

"Of course!"

She tilted the blade towards him.

"Then you must thrust this soul slayer through your heart."

"Then give me that blade, soul reaper."

"My name is Sakura....Sakura Haruno."

My name...He murmurred. "Is...

**"Die!"**

"Naruto Uzumaki."

Blood spurted through the air, and he looked down to see the katana embedded in his chest, held in one quivering hand by the shinigami. Oddly enough, he wasn't bleeding.

"So now what-

However, the incoming hand did not give him such time to think of that.

_"Now!_

A smirk traced his lips.

_Naruto..._He heard a voice a second before it happened.

KKRAM!

He was consumed in a flash of blue fire and smoke!

The hollow's fist met something cold and sharp, and a wind blew away the smoke.

Naruto now wore shinigami robes. In his hand was an large, yet simple blade, and it was the only thing stopping the hollow's fist. He stared at if for a second, and suddenly, it was as if the hilt had changed colors, now black instead of red. The hilt was no longer square, but curved, rather shaped like an oval.

But when he blinked again, it was a normal large zanpaktou.

He held it with one hand, and had a murderous look in his eyes.

Sakura fell backwards, on her butt, a dumbfounded look in her eyes. Her once black robe had now turned white. Apparently, this was not supposed to happen, and it was made evident as she looked down at her hands.

_'I only meant to give him half, but he took it all?'_

Naruto moved his wrist slightly to the left, and the hollow lost its arm. Howling at the loss of its limb, it tried to stomp him, but he nimbly sidestepped it, and in an almost effortless movement, now cleaved off its left leg, just below the knee.

Deprived of its balance, the fish-faced freak began to fall towards him. It opened its mouth in one last desperate attempt to consume him. As if such a thing would happen.

"For what you have done to my family, perish here!"

Slowly, he spoke the words, even as he saw the fear register in the eyes of the beast. It was raw terror, and this place would become his grave, and they both knew it.

He brought down the blade, and cleaved it in two.

A new shinigami had been born.

--

(Next morning)

He woke with a start, and openly stared at the massive hole in his house. Or to be more precise, the hole in his room. It was huge and gaping, easily large enough for a truck to fit through.

He raced downstairs, and it was just as bad outside.

"What the-

"I can't believe a truck crashed into the house....Murmured Hana, a look of open disbelief on her young face.

"I'm more surprised that it didn't wake anyone up." Grumbled Hanabi, her backpack slung over her shoulder.

_'Truck? Don't they remember anything?'_

"Breakfast is ready!" Called Tsunade, cheery as ever.

_'Did that shinigami do this...?'_

The siblings exchanged a glance and he shrugged.

_'Oh well. She probably went back to that Soul Society place.'_

--

Hinata was teenager who admired one person.

Uzumaki Naruto.

Many people did not understand what she saw in him. She, with long, navy blue hair and pale lavender eyes, she, who was so well endowed, she was practically a goddess. She, who had a serious crush on Uzumaki Naruto.

Even in her school uniform, she had the looks to make the boys drool. But she was a clueless one at times, and did not understand this. The one person who was actually _unaware _of her feelings, had her heart.

Perhaps that was why she adored him so.

"G-Good m-morning Na-Naruto-kun!" She stammered, as the blond shuffled into class, and was rewarded with a sleepy wave.

"Eh? Oh, good morning, Hinata-san." He yawned, taking his seat next to Gaara and Lee.

"You look terrible." Commented Gaara, as the lecture began.

"How are you feeling?" Asked Leein his usual way.

The sound of snoring reached his ears, as his head was now down on the desk.

"Sleepy, it looks like." Commented Gaara, as the door slid open.

"Oh, you can sit next to...Naruto!" The teacher barked the last part to wake him up. He jolted awake with a snort, and looked around sharply. He didn't usually fall asleep in class, which meant he was all but _exhausted_.

"Hmm?"

"Our new student will sit next to you." Stated the teacher curtly. "It will be _your_ job to show her around the school."

"But I-

"No butts! You fell asleep in my class for the third time, and that will be your punishment!"

He hung his head.

"Yes ma'am."

It didn't really seem so bad at first, but his brown eyes tripled as he recognized the _student. _Said student now extended her hand in a friendly greeting, smiling brightly.

Even without her sash and hakama, he recognized her immediately. Her pink hair, and emerald eyes made her identity all too clear, even though he was practically half asleep.

It was the shinigami!

"Hello there!" She chirped, extending her hand. "My name's Sakura Haruno, nice to meet you!"

"Gah! You?!"

"Hmm? Do you know her?" Asked Gaara, sparing Naruto a sidelong glance.

"Of course not! We've never met before, right Naruto-kun?"

He saw markings on her palm and glanced downward.

Written on her hand was:

_Say a word and you're_ so _dead._

_"Why you little-_

--

The moment the bell rang, he confronted her in the hall.

"What are you doing here?"

"How scary! You big brute!" She pretended to be terrified, though this made him all but furious. "You're not gonna hurt me are you?"

"Drop the act. It's not fooling anyone!"

"Well I Think its pretty good, considering I learned it overnight!" She chirped cheerily.

"Okay...

He really didn't have much to say with that.

"But aren't you supposed to go back to this Soul Society of yours?"

"I can't." She sighed, with a slightly crestfallen expression. "Only soul reapers can go back to the soul Society. I haven't the power to return anymore."

He took her wrist and pulled her aside, so they could speak with impunity.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Her shoulders slumped slightly, but there was no denying that she was upset. "Last night I lost all of my powers as a soul reaper. I'm afraid they were all absorbed into you, Naruto."

"I wouldn't know what you mean by that." He looked down at himself. '_I feel completely normal. If I absorbed these 'powers' of hers, then wouldn't I at least_ feel _different?'_

"Thanks to you, I'm stuck in this gigai." She grumbled this under her breath.

"Gigai?"

"Its a temporary body we soul reapers use in case of an emergency. If a shinigami is weakened, they reside inside of a gigai until the recover their strength. While in a gigai, they can be seen just as easily as any other human."

The student nodded.

"It sounds...weird."

"You don't believe me, do you?!" Fumed Sakura.

"Can you honestly blame me?" He shrugged. "It _is_ a bit much to take in."

"Regardless, I have a job to do here. Which is why-

She extended her hand to him, in some sort of gesture.

"Its up to you, Naruto, to perform the duties of a soul reaper."

A big red question mark popped into existence over the blonde's head.

_'Eh?'_

It's only natural, you now possess the strength and speed of a soul reaper. You do not have the right to refuse your-

"No way!" He declared, crossing his arms in an X!

"Oh come on! You did just fine last night!"

"But that was only because my family was in trouble." He pointed out. "It was a one time deal only, my monster hunting days are officially over, so there's no use in bugging me."

Without another word, he turned to go.

"Guess there's no other choice then...She sighed, slipping on a glove that was emblazoned with a skulled flame. He did not notice her until she shouted:

"Hey you!"

He spun around just in time for her to ram the palm of her hand against his chin.

That was all it took.

Naruto sprang back, drew his sword-

Wait.

Drew his sword?!

"What did you do?" He asked, amazed, as he saw his body lying on the ground...

But then why was he looking at himself?!

"What the hell did you do?!"

"Come on."

--

"Ya mind telling me where we're going?"

"We're getting close." replied Sakura, pulling out what looked like a cell phone.

"Close to what?"

"To our next orders, from the Soul Society. It looks like the spirit of a young boy is about to come under attack-

The park next to them suddenly exploded in a cloud of dirt.

"That's it! There it is!"

He yanked the blade out of the sheathe in a second, catching the edge of the fence, then vaulting over it. The hollow in question was an insectoid like beast, and it was currently chasing down a young boy.

"Wait!"

"I don't have time to wait!"

"Leave him be! Getting involved simply because a spirit is nearby, that's not how it works!" He clenched tightly his hilt. "If you intend to help this child then commit yourself to saving every spirit. If you're going to save this boy, then you must help all the others! Even at the cost of your own life."

Her words were dark and ominous, and held much weight to them.

But...

"Shaddap!"He called, ignoring her further protests.

With a single swing of his zanpaktou, the beast lost two of its six legs. Clutching the hilt with his right hand, Naruto twisted his wrist, then brought the katana back around for a killing blow-

Only for the hollow to rear back and dissapear into blackness.

"Have you made your choice, Naruto?"

"Like hell I have. I saved this kid cuz I wanted to-

He spun around and stabbed at the spider hollow, before it could reach him.

-ya hear me?!"

He looked down at the boy.

"Here. You'd better pass on, unless ya wanna go through that again."

He pressed the hilt to the child's head, and performed a konso. As the spirit was sent to the afterlife, Naruto Uzumaki seemed to sag, almost as if a great weight had been placed on his shoulders.

"You performed that beautifully." Sakura spoke from behind him, as she pulled his body out of a tree, and unceremoniously dumped it before him.

"Where are you going?" He asked, as he regained physical form.

"Back home."

He gasped in air as he slipped back into his body.

"Where's that?" He sat up and looked himself over to make sure he was normal. His sword was gone again, and he rather missed it, though he could still feel the power surging through his veins.

"Do you really want to know?"

"I guess not."

"Good." She replied, walking off.

--

Big brother, have you seen my pajama's?"Asked Hana, poking her head around into his room.

He looked up from tuning his guitar.

"Did you ask Hanabi if she mixed up the laundry again-

"She said she did it right this time!" Called Tsunade from down the hall.

"One of my dresses went missing too...Pouted Hana.

"Do you want me to buy you an extra pair?" Naruto volunteered, giving the strings an absent minded strum. He frowned when the wrong chord was produced, and continued to tune the instrument.

The sickly little girl fervently shook her head and began to close the door. "No, I don't want to make big brother spend all of his allowance."

She had a habit of referring to him as such.

"Good night, Hana-chan."

"Night Naruto-nii!" She chirped, closing the door behind her.

He began to start playing-

Beep! Beep! Beep!

"Hmm?" He looked around-

"Naruto! we've got an order!"

"Gah! What're you doing in my closet?!"

"We're not alone." Sakura warned, slipping on the glove.

"Wait, what-

Thrusting her hand out-

Just before a giant palm smashed where he had been a second before.

**"YOU!" **The monstrosity howled! **"I will not let you get close to her!"**Moving on instinct, Naruto turned his zanpaktou about, heaving it across the expanse that separated him from the beast!

The zanpaktou struck home, through the arm that was raised to block the slash. As the severed stump of the limb fell to the floor, the zanpaktou delivered a brutal hit to the mask, cleaving a full section of it away-

The man behind it smiled sadly, for just a second.

The beast then went berserk, thrashed about wildly.

**"OOOOOOOOH! IT HURTS IT HUUUUUUURTS!"**

Blue eyes tripled in surprise, as it too vanished into the blackness.

"You acted like you knew him." Commented Sakura.

"That was Neji...Hinata's older brother."

Sakura winced when he spun around with a glare.

"You said a hollow attacks its loved ones, so where-

His eyes tripled as the conclusion consumed him.

"Hinata!"


	3. Comfort

**Okay, Naruto won't be getting Zangetsu as his zanpaktou. He'll be getting another one instead, a personal favorite of mine... And obviously he'll be like Ichigo for a bit, cuz i need to develop his character. OBVIOUSLY he won't retrace Ichigo's every step! So everyone stop freaking out!**

"OI!"

The hollow turned as Naruto summarily burst through the wall. He shook his leg to be rid of the stiffness that had ensued from his entry. Neji whirled away, as if he had been talking to his sister, instead of trying to actually kill her.

"Na-Naruto-kun!"

**"You!"**

"Hinata! Get away!"

**"Stay back!" **Neji snarled, seizing his sister in one massive hand before Naruto could finish the rest of his sentence, constricting her and causing her to cry out in pain. **"Come any closer and I'll kill her!"**

When Naruto took a slight step forward, Hinata cried out in agony as Neji squeezed tighter.

**"I'll do it!"**

Hinata struggled in the grip of the hollow, but to no avail.

"You shoulda dropped her." Muttered the blond, his eyes flickering red.

**"Drop your sword!"**

"No."

One moment he was on the ground, the next, he had landed atop the hollow's head. Neji made as if to take a chunk out of Hinata right then and there, but the soul reaper stopped him cold, via pulling back on the hair that stuck out from behind the mask. Yanking with one hand, he used it as a sort of makeshift reigns to prevent Neji from snapping Hinata up.

Even as he did this, he raising the heel of his right leg, to deliver a sharp, powerful axe kick, the back of his foot slamming into the hollow's mask, kicking with enough force to slap its face straight down, thus denying it of its chance to consume Hinata. Another kick, this one harder than the last, made its arm spasm, and in doing so, freed Hinata.

Twisting around, he now rammed his fist into the left side of its gut, then pulled it out, trying his best not to register the monster's screams of torment. Ignoring the sickening sensation of the black bile in his fingertips, and the aching pain of swollen joints, Naruto threw his sword up, sticking the massive blade square into the very ceiling. This freed up his hands, which he now locked above his head, and brought down...

_Hard._

Though the attack did nothing but daze it, the hollow was knocked to the floor. With surprising grace for one of his size, and with such a massive soul cutter, the blond twirled in the air, came down, and placed his blade an inch or so above the beast's throat.

"Perfect, Naruto." Commented Sakura with a small smile.

"You act like you planned it this way." He muttered, sparing her a glance. He pressed his foot down harder on the hollow's head, driving it down further, lest it try something

"Well if I didn't know any better, I'd say you actually _cared_ about what happened to her."

"Pfft." He snorted, looking away, ignoring Hinata's crimson flush, and trying to hide his own. "Guess I do."

**"Who are you anyway?" **It asked, not moving an inch, its sickly red eyes glaring into the reaper's own blue.

"Naruto Uzumaki, age sixteen. Substitute Soul Reaper."

"Uzumaki, what is this thing?"

He turned to see his longtime friend, Gaara staring at the beast. He was slumped up against the wall, and his right arm was quite bloodied, but he seemed to be quite alright, judging by the fact that he was speaking coherently.

"It's a long story."

"I expected as much." Sighed the tall freshman.

**"KILL YOU!" **Neji roared suddenly, his tail cracking like a whip!

Naruto took the massive appendage across the face, and stumbled back a step. The tail cracked again, blowing him clear out the wall. Surprisingly, his feet somehow found _traction _in the air, but by the time he'd realized this, he'd already been tackled to the street by Neji.

The impact took him by the shoulders, teeh digging in deep by his collarbone. Blood was vomited, and with great effort the shinigami kept his footing, though he did lurch back a step.

The monster spit some substance from his mouth, burning the blonde's hand, just as he tried to swing his zanpaktou in retaliation. Whatever the stuff was, it burned like acid, and he yelped in pain, inadvertently tossing the blade away in reflex.

Neji clamped down on his hand now, the incisors of his teeth clamping into flesh and bone. A harsh grinding sound was heard and the blond was unable to hold back a scream as he came away with his hand gone at the wrist.

Not wasting a second, Neji sprang!

Only for a massive killer intent to freeze him in his tracks.

Naruto's eyes, though still red, had retained their round pupils throughout this fight. Now, those pupils narrowed, lengthened, until they became, until he had gained slits in their place. A sinister aura began to shimmer around the blond, who now picked himself up, as the glow covered every inch of his body, causing his hair to stand on end, giving it an almost rough appearance.

He looked down at his right hand and frowned.

Moments later, the wound of his arm began to stretch at his wrist as if something were trying to force its way out.

From the torn and matted flesh, bones sprang, perfectly formed, yet lacking skin and muscle. The latter now crept over the chalky white bone, coating it in essential nerves and sensory receptors. Skin now bubbled from muscle, wrapping it tightly in the coverings.

And just like that, it was over.

He flexed his hand, and though the aura lessened slightly. It had faded to a dim glow by now, and there was no indication from as to the apparent awe Sakura wore on her face having witness such a hideous display of regeneration.

"That...hurt." He whispered silently.

The glow vanished into his hand, and he smirked.

"I don't know what's going on here, but I like it...

Slowly, the crimson claws clacked against each other. Like before, they were transparent, and his hand could still be seen beneath this strange light. "I feel no pain from my wounds....In fact...

Acidwire shrieked in agony as what had to be a claw exploded into his mouth, shattering part of his mask as it did so. The hand raked across his tongue and mouth, ripping them clean out.

"I feel invincible!"

Flexing his hand, the zanpaktou flew across the ground, and landed in his grip. Its edge seemed to glint red in the streetlights, adding another layer of sheer terror to this grisly scene.

Just like that, Sora lost his left arm, but unlike before, the blond took his time in severing the limb. Some part of him delighted in its anguished cries, but that small part of also wanted to kill this creature for even daring to lay a hand on him. Before any form of retaliation could be given, and strangely of his own accord, he was now pointing the tip of the massive blade to his throat.

The slightest twitch would plunge steel through his skull.

He was ready to end it-

"STOP!"

He froze, just before the attack would have brought an end to Neji. He blinked, and his eyes returned to their sapphire blue, blinking, as if to take back in his surroundings. His gaze turned to behold Hinata, who now jumped down from the hole in the apartment. "Stop!" She pleaded, abruptly grabbing him from behind. "Stop stop stop!"

The zanpaktou fell from Naruto's hand, as Hinata pushed past him. She now stood before Neji, and placed both hands on either side of his mask. Naruto tried his best to ignore her apologies to her brother, but every single word was irrevocably burned into his mind.

He couldn't bear to look, so he hung his head.

"Naruto, you're-

"Shut up." He mumbled under his breath when Sakura came up behind him. "I'm fine."

"Uzumaki."

When Neji actually spoke, Naruto looked up in surprise to see that the mask was now gone. The rest of his body was still half man half snake, making his next words all the more pitiable. "Please...kill me."

"Say what?!"

The blond recoiled in surprise when Neji picked up the zanpaktou, held it to his chest.

"Hey wait a sec!"

"No, let him." Insisted Sakura, restraining him suddenly. "This is the only way he'll find peace."

"Neji...there's gotta be another way!"

He gave a wan smile.

"I only wish there was."

He closed his eyes, and held his head high."

"Goodbye-

"W-Wait!" Hinata moved the hair from the side of her face, and Neji's pale eyes widened at the sight of her hair-clips. As if that simple gesture spoke volumes, tears of mirth began to steam down his face, accompanied by a soft, genuine laugh. "Y-You're wearing them...

Hinata nodded, and sucking in a breath, spoke to her brother one last time.

"I...wanted to tell you something. When you died, p-protecting me, I...never said thank you." Tears swam in her eyes now, but she wanted to be strong, she didn't want to let them fall, even when she dared to embrace him. "So...thank you, Neji. Thank you so much."

She pulled away and Naruto spat a curse into the ground. His own helplessness frustrated him, and though he longed to do something about this, Sakura's words held strength and truth, even if not for the hold she had him in.

And he hated it.

The pale eyes of Neji Hyuuga fell upon Naruto again.

"Take good care of my sister, Uzumaki."

Naruto blushed at what he might mean, but nodded all the same.

"I-I will."

Naruto wore a forlorn look, as Neji plunged the zanpaktou through his chest. Slowly, dragged the giant zanbato upward further, deeper into the mask. He didn't stop, not until the weapon had cleaved him straight through.

Hinata watched him go, watched his hideous form dissolve into ethereal spirit particles. They seemed to linger in the air a moment, hovering just before her face, as if bidding her one last farewell. And then, even those were gone.

Hinata stared after them for a moment, her lip starting to tremble.

Naruto silently picked up his zanpaktou, then sheathed it.

"Are...you okay?" He asked.

Hinata was _not_okay. Physically, she was perfectly alright. Even in all this chaos, she hadn't even gotten a scratch, in fact Gaara had been the one to throw her out of the way beforehand. However, mentally and emotionally was an entirely different matter. She hadn't the slightest idea what this chain was, why it was attached to her chest, or why all this had just happened to her.

She didn't know here brother had become a monster, she didn't want to know it. She didn't want to know so many things right now, but she did, and that knowledge was tearing her up inside.

But still, she nodded her head.

"I-I'm f-fine Naruto-kun-

The tears abruptly swam in her eyes until everything was blurry. She dared not speak another word, lest that word turn into a sob, and that sob into a torrent of tears. Her emotions threatened to overwhelm her, and the dam that was her facade could take no more of it.

She burst.

"I'm not...she whispered suddenly, slowly shaking her head as the tears began to fall. As she spoke, her tone grew frantic and anxious, then she was shaking so badly she could barely even stand. "I'm not okay, I'm not okay at all!"

"Baka." He muttered, wrapping her in his arms so suddenly, even though he had no idea why. It just felt right to comfort her, probably because he knew the same sort of thing, the same pain of loss.

He barely even _remembered_ his parents.

As for his mother?

Well, he didn't really remember what she looked like.

His earliest memory, or rather, the first memory he could recall was of someone with a kind smile, warm golden eyes, and violet hair. He couldn't even remember anything before that.

His hands moved of their own accord, one gently stroking her back, whilst the other rested against the back of her neck. In response, she hugged him tightly, her tears staining his Shihakusho and mingling with the blood, creating an odd tingling sensation.

His mouth moved of his own accord, and with the ringing in his ears, and the adrenaline fading, he didn't exactly know what he was saying, nor did he pay attention to the fact that his tongue might be a bit looser than usual. But whatever he was saying seemed to calm her, and he hadn't gotten smacked yet...

"I need to treat your wounds." Sakura spoke over his shoulder, and he felt a sharp stinging pain in his back.

_"It'll be alright." _He mumbled to Hinata, just before he passed out from bloodloss...

_--_

_(Sometime later)_

The next day was nothing exceptional.

In fact, Hinata acted like it hadn't even happened, and neither did Gaara.

"Confused?" Asked Sakura, observing his expression.

"Very."

"I think you did the same thing to my family."

Sakura pulled out a small device with a duck-shaped head.

"I replaced their memories." Shed answered, putting it away from wherever she had gotten it, although there didn't seem to be an room in that outfit of hers... "It's a random process, but it's better than actually having them remember last night."

"Hmm... He sighed, observing Hinata's story, which quite frankly wasn't very believable. Even with Ino and Gaara backing her up, everyone just laughed and commended her for an active imagination.

Sakura pulled his wrist, getting his attention again.

"C'mon, we've got a hollow sighting."

--

"I have to eat this?"

"Just do it! I wanted Chappy, but this was the best they had!"

"Huh? I don't see the difference-

"JUST EAT THE DAMN THING!"

"Alright alright!"

He swallowed the pill, and summarily popped out of his body, much to his surprise.

"In that body resides a substitute soul." Explained Sakura, after Naruto freaked about swallowing the soul candy. "And no one will be able to tell the difference-

Surprisingly, she walked right past him. "Hmm," Sakura poked his real body in the back, then a few more times, when it did not move, and then hit it upside the head. "I think he's sleeping-

In response, the body rose, and gave her a _salute_ of all things.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Naruto Uzumaki."

"Eh?" Naruto's eyes narrowed into a scowl. "What the-

Sakura stifled a giggle as the soul went on...

"Early to bed, early to rise, that's my motto!"

"Early to bed early to what?!" Sputtered Naruto furiously. "I _never_ say that!"

"Pretty amazing, isn't it?" Supplied Sakura. "No one will be able to tell the difference now."

"Amazing?! Are you on drugs?! He's _nothing_ like me! "

Beep! Beep!

"Well, looks like there's a hollow, I suppose you'd better take care of it." Sakura nodded, glancing down at the soul pager, speaking almost as if to herself, yet still grabbing him by the collar in an ironclad grip all the same.

"W-Wait a sec! We can't just-

"Well, c'mon. Why don't we leave him at school while we head out?"

"Sakura are you crazy?! Have you been listening to a word I just-

"Let's go!" She declared, hitting him over the head, then dragging him away.

"Hey you, don't you dare do anything stupid!" Called Naruto as he was pulled out of sight.

"Just leave everything to me master." Smirked the faux Naruto. "And take your time...

--

(Meanwhile)

The man whistled softly to himself as he rooted through his supplies. He was a casual looking fellow, possibly in his mid forties, judging solely by his looks. Hung on a rack behind him, was a long white spiked wig, and next to it was a rather comical looking headband that sported a kanji for oil on it. He wore a rather garrish red jacket with long sleeves, though it billowed out behind him like a cape. His actual hairstyle was more modern, despite his outlandish taste of decor.

_'Now where did I put that shipment-_

"Wait a sec...

This was the box that Konan had opened. He leaned down to peer at it closely, then paled as he read just what the label was. It had been obscurred partially by another box, and that likely meant she had misread the shipment when Sakura came her for the Soul candy.

It read-

"Oh man...

Defective merchandise.

"Ugh." He sighed, shaking his head and rising to his feet, brushing off his knees as he did so. "Nagato, Konan, come here, will ya?" Almost as an afterthought, he added with a glint in his eyes, and a smile on his face-

"And stop eavesdropping on me."

"Hai, Sensei?" A boy with shoulder length red hair and grey eyes poked his head in from around the corner, as the door had been left open.. He had a sheepish, almost nervous grin set on his face.

"Sorry sensei." Mumbled a girl as she too poked her head into view. She was a sharp contrast to the boy, for she had deep amber colored eyes, short blue hair and a paper flower was perched in it.

Both were _clearly _not enjoying the fact that they'd been caught red handed.

But that wasn't the problem right now.

"Get me Tsunade on the phone. We've got a problem....

--

The Gikongan smirked, or rather, Naruto did, as he looked up.

"Alright. Let's see...

His legs tensed, and he bent himself low into a crouch, preparing to spring as he gathered energy...

"Oh man, this is gonna be great!"

With a burst of energy, the Gikongan took off like a rocket, easily leaping several stories in a single bound. The wind in his hair, caressing his face...This was what it felt like to be free! As he went up a flight, he tucked in his legs, preparing for his landing upon the ledge-

And was greeted by the shocked stares of several girls.

"Scuse me, this is the ninth grade class, group three, right?" He asked, upon landing on the windowsill...

--

Naruto turned to look west.

"Man, I'm getting a bad feeling...

--

"W-Wait a second!" Sputtered Ino, jabbing a finger at 'Naruto', unable to believe what she had just seen, and it was the exact same case for everyone else. "H-How did you get up here like that?!"

"Whaddya mean how?" He asked, a small smile on his face as he stood up. "I _jumped_ up here. Ya saw it with your own eyes didn't ya? Well, pretty rad huh? Can ya believe it?"

"I bet he crawled over from the classroom next door!" Came a voice.

"No way! He jumped up from the yard!" Replied another student.

"Did you see him do it?"

"Well, no I didn't see him...

'Naruto' just couldn't get enough of this, and grinned broadly as the chatter increased.

_"Alright! Their eyes are all over me, they can't get enough, they think I'm totally amazing!"_

_"This rocks!" _He said to himself, as he let his eyes wander lecherously over the room.... _'Not a bad lookin' buncha girls..._

And then his eyes settled on Hinata.

He drooled a bit right then.

_'Oh-ho! SUPER SIZED!'_

Ino grabbed him in a full nelson as he bent down to kiss Hinata's hand and ask her name.

"Naruto! What on earth are you-

The words died in her throat as he leaned back to look at her.

"Hey, you're pretty cute too."

"N-Nani?"

And then he kissed her on the cheek.

"HEY!" Yelped the Gikongan as he dodged a desk thrown at him by Ino, who was furiously trying to kill him by this point. "Its was just a kiss on the cheek, what's so bad about that?!"

"SHUT UP!" She shrieked, blushing furiously, lobbing another desk his way.

The door was unceremoniously booted in by a certain blond a few moments later, but by then it was already too late. What he saw made his brow twitch, and if that wasn't his own body, he'd have carved it up right then and there.

"GAH!" Kon cried as Naruto in soul reaper form lunged at him!

"I'm gonna kill you!"

But he danced away all the same, and jumped back outside.

"GET BACK HERE!" Naruto snarled, leaping after the mod soul-

"Naruto, there's a drop!" Warned Sakura-

But by then, he had landed facefirst in the dirt.

The pinkette smacked herself in the forehead.

"We need to regroup."

**Do u like the urahara shop replacements? any more guesses as to who is who? PLEASE REVIEW and comment!**


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